


Revenant

by brckenmartyr



Category: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-11-16 18:23:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11258397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brckenmartyr/pseuds/brckenmartyr
Summary: Ten years ago, 13 children went missing on the Ark without a trace. When the delinquents are on a desperate hunt to defy all odds and beat praimfaya, they accidentally unravel a past that has been hidden for a decade and might offer the solution for survival ( s4 AU )





	1. Twins

> **The Ark, 10 years prior to landing on earth**

 

 

The faint noise of an alarm clock woke Ellyn from her deep slumber and the little girl stretched out carefully, mindful not to hit her sleeping sister. Ebril was still sound asleep, regardless of the alarm going off, just like every morning. Ellyn sat up and rubbed her tired eyes, before slipping out of bed. Their mother had laid their clothes out on her own bunk, so it was Elly's job to get her sister dressed and fed, before their neighbor Bellamy would pick them up for school. It was a routine she was used to, because she had always been responsible for Ebril. They were identical twins, one normal, one different. Elly didn't know details, because she was only five, but she knew that something had happened to Ebril's brain when they were born, because she hadn't been able to breathe properly and now she was not like other kids. She didn't understand the world very well, could not speak and was incapable of taking care of herself. So Ellyn had to look after her at all times, because their mama was always working and their papa did not live with them. He only came to visit every once in a while for a short time, but he didn't help them much. Ellyn knew that he lived on another station, one she was not allowed to visit.

 

Searching in their only cupboard, she didn't find more than one ration pack, so she poured it onto a table for Ebril and went to wake her twin up. “Wake up, Ebby. We have to get ready for school”, she said, voice hoarse from sleep still. Her brown curls hung unruly into steel blue eyes and tickled a freckled nose as she helped Ebril sit on her chair and handed her a spoon to eat breakfast. While her sister ate, Ellyn already got dressed to save time and made sure she had everything in her bag for school. Ebby didn't need one, because her school was basically just kindergarten.

Her mama always told them how fortunate they were to have each other, because siblings were not allowed on the Ark, not even twins normally. But the second baby had been detected too late during the pregnancy and could not be aborted safely anymore, so Livia had been allowed to keep both of her daughters. Ellyn did not feel fortunate, however. Ebril was not a normal sister and most often felt like a burden to her. Other children made fun of her and it was always Ellyn who had to come when Ebril threw one of her tantrums, which she always did when something overwhelmed her. Her mother always had to focus on Ebril and it often seemed to Ellyn that she loved her more. And with her father so absent, that often made her feel singled out.

 

A knock on the door made her look up and she furrowed her brows. It was very early for Bellamy to come and pick them up. He lived in the quarter next to theirs and their mothers were friends, so he walked the little girls to school each morning, to make sure they got there. He was a nice boy, older than them, with a talent to tell stories. Ellyn loved it when he read to her, because he painted pictures with his words and she was in love with the myths he spoke of. Hercules, Pandora and Persephone were her favorites and she liked to pretend that she was in secret a goddess herself and would one day break out of their miserable life. For now, however, she just got up to open the door for Bellamy and was more than surprised to find a woman standing in front of it together with a guard, both entirely unfamiliar to her. A sweet, fake smile appeared on the woman's lips and she leaned down awkwardly in front of the small child.

 

“Good morning, sweetheart. I have to inform you that your mother had a little accident at work. Nothing dramatic, but she will have to stay at medical for a few days. Since you have no...other relative, you will be taken care of by the council. Would you both please come with us?” Ellyn's eyes widened, while Ebril entirely ignored their presence and continued eating. “What is wrong with mama? Can we go see her? We have to let Bellamy know we're not going to school with him”, she said immediately and the blonde woman was obviously annoyed with her outburst. “He will be informed by us later. You can see your mother tonight, sweetheart. Please come now, we don't have much time. Off we go.” Ellyn shook her head and pointed at Ebril. “My sister is still in her pyjamas”, she stated, but the woman's gaze hardened. “We can give her clothes, it doesn't matter, we need to go.”

 

She nodded towards the guard, who just stepped inside and picked Ebril up from her chair, much to the dismay of the small child, who kicked her legs and struggled quietly, until she was set down on the floor, bare feet and wearing her pj, while she and her sister were ushered out of the quarters. “My sister needs her bunny. She can't go anywhere without it”, Ellyn tried, knowing Ebril would freak out without it, but no one listened to her. The guard had taken her by the arm and just dragged her along, while she was trying to keep Ebril's hand in her own. The corridor was deserted entirely, no guard, no people at this time of the morning, just them. The blonde woman had a small black device in her hand, which she pointed at the cameras above their heads every now and then, but despite that they walked in silence. Ebril was holding up well for a while, which changed drastically when the guard let go of them and removed a panel from a wall, exposing what looked like a maintenance shaft.

 

It was then that Ellyn realized something was wrong, but she had no time to think about running, because the woman already pushed her towards the opening. Ebril was not having any of it, because she was scared of the dark and confined spaces, so she started to wail. “Shush, child, stop making so much noise”, the woman hissed and grabbed her, carrying her through the opening and closing the panel behind them. It was pitch black for a brief moment and Ebril started to scream, until a flashlight flickered up and brought at least a little light into the tunnel. Ellyn tried her best to calm Ebby down, because it was upsetting the two adults, but without the bunny Miss Blake had sewn for the girl, it was nearly impossible to console Ebril in situations like these, so she continued sobbing hysterically. It didn't get better when the woman grabbed her by the arms and shook her furiously. “Stop it! Stop it, or I'll have to make you stop! We cannot make so much noise, you hear me? Stop it!” She covered Ebby's mouth in a desperate attempt to stop her, but she was only choking the girl, who started crying even louder, instead of calming down. “She is afraid of the dark. And we didn't bring her bunny, she always needs her bunny. I can go back and get it. It will calm her down”, Ellyn pleaded, thinking maybe she could get away, but the woman shook her head. “No. No going back, she either stops now, or we'll have to shut her up.”

 

That sounded like a proper threat and Ellyn felt helpless. “Please sissy, be quiet. Shhh, it's okay, I'm here. We just have to keep walking, the tunnel will end soon, I promise. You have to calm down”, she whispered and held Ebril, hoping it would help, but her sister just clung to her, little fingers desperately digging into Ellyn's shirt. They were cold and Elly realized she had to be freezing with her naked feet. “It's alright, I've got you. You're safe with me, remember?” For a brief second Ebby looked up at her, blue eyes just like her own filled with tears and Ellyn had the faint hope that for once she would listen, but her twin just continued sobbing a second later, much to the dismay of the woman. “Shut her up”, she told the guard bare of any emotions and walked ahead, further away from them. The tall man towered over the girls, obviously torn, his hand feeling for something on his belt. “We don't have all day”, the blonde called and it sounded like a warning. “What are you going to do?” Ellyn's voice had an edge to it, because cold fear was starting to grow in her stomach, but the man did not reply. He grabbed Ebril by the arm and pulled her free from Ellyn's grasp. The flashlight died down and it was entirely dark suddenly. “Ebby? What are you doing with her? Where are you?” Ellyn was panicking and jumped when a muffled 'bang' echoed through the dark, not loud, but still frightening, followed by a thud. Strong hands got hold of her and she was entirely stiff, terrified and motionless as she was lifted up into the man's arms. “Close your eyes. Don't open them until I tell you to”, he said softly and his voice was full of regret.

 

She did look, however, when the light went on again. Her sister was laying on the floor, beautiful steel blue eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, a pool of blood forming under her head. There was a small red mark on her forehead, but other than that she looked peaceful. Ellyn covered her mouth, because she was afraid to make a sound and be hurt as well, but a sob escaped her lips anyway. The man rubbed her back gently as he carried her away.

 


	2. Mount Rushmore

> **Arkadia – 3 weeks before the death wave**

 

Hazel eyes were fixed on the computer screens in front of her, darting back and forth, while slender digits flickered over the keyboard. This was the new normal for Raven, as they were all trying to find some sort of way to save their lives. Her brows furrowed into a frown momentarily, her stare intensifying as she scanned through the code that was flashing on one of the screens, before she leaned back and hummed softly, irritated by what she had just discovered.

 

“Clarke, come over here”, she ordered, distracting the blonde from studying a map of the surrounding area, in the hope it would give them any idea of where to find potential bunkers. Clarke walked over and briefly looked at the screens, but easily accepted that she understood none of it. “I was trying to figure out whether the radio connection has already been affected by the incoming death wave, since the signal has been pretty bad lately on a wide range and while the answer to that is YES, I also found this”, Raven explained and gestured at the screen, as if the numbers would mean anything to Clarke. “You do know I don't speak nerd, right? What exactly have you found?”  
Raven rolled her eyes and switched to another screen, tapping her finger against what appeared to be a folder full of data. “Radio transmissions. Or rather, fragments of radio transmissions that were either deleted, or not fully received on the Ark. I thought that maybe it was from our attempts to make contact when we first landed, since it was on the Ark server, but look at the date. It's from ten years ago!”

 

Her words lingered in the air between them for a moment, while Clarke tried to make sense of the find. “That means...earth had contact to the Ark ten years ago? But who and – how?” She was utterly confused, because that changed everything they had always taken for the truth. That their descend to earth had been a trip into unknown territory, because for nearly 100 years, no one had been on the planet anymore and contact had broken off right after the nuclear fallout back then. But if those transmissions were only ten years old, it meant that the council had known earth was inhabitable. “You say it's only fragments. Can you find our who sent them?” Raven flashed her a brilliant smile at the question. “I wouldn't be me, if I could not. Already did, to be precise. I cannot say WHO sent them, but I can tell you from WHERE they were sent. And that was Mount Rushmore, or at least the area surrounding the mountain. Maybe it wasn't a mistake after all that the dropship landed closer to Rushmore than Mount Weather...” Clarke found herself speechless at the discovery and didn't exactly know what to make of it, but it was obvious that she had to talk to someone in charge, most importantly someone who had already been in charge back then.

 

“I did some digging”, Raven announced to break the silence, because she wasn't done with her revelation yet. “I searched the server for any sort of record of unusual events ten years ago and although the server we have down here is only a fragment of the servers up on the Ark ring and I cannot access those right now, I found something”, she told Clarke, clicking on another folder and opening it. “This was an investigation led by no other than Marcus Kane, who was looking into the disappearance of 13 children from the Ark. Only one of them was ever found, dead, rotting in one of the maintenance shafts in a remote part of the Ark that had not been in use after a fire during the 37th year in space. After they found the corpse, all other children were declared dead as well and the investigation was ended by the council. I don't assume the one necessarily has anything to do with the other, but that was the only record I could access from that particular year. There were no transmissions before, nor after. There are also no record of outgoing transmissions from the Ark to the ground. Which does not surprise me, because those could have easily been deleted. All in all – this doesn't help us with the current problem, but I thought it was interesting anyway”, Raven concluded, leaning back on her chair again and folding her arms in front of her chest. “It surely is. I'll talk to Marcus about it, see if he knows anything. Jaha won't say the truth either way, I'm sure. I have to get back to medical. Let me know if you find anything else”, she told the other and offered her quick smile, before heading out to help her mother stock supplies for the apocalypse.

 

At the same time, Marcus Kane was sitting in his quarter, a calendar in hand, which he had kept after coming to earth and always tried to keep accurate. The present day was marked in red and his thumb brushed over the number briefly, before he placed it aside with a heavy sigh. He reached out to pick up a glass from the table, taking a sip of the liquor in it. So many years had passed by and still he found himself with an aching heart, one that would never stop feeling guilty, never stop feeling incomplete. With another sigh, he emptied the glass and rose from the couch, walking over to his drawer to place the calendar back inside, next to a child's drawing that rested in it, a colorful depiction of how a little girl had once seen earth, with lots of flowers, green grass and rainbows. If only she had seen it for herself. Marcus bit down on his lower lip and ran his fingertips gently over the worn paper, that had survived a crash down to earth. They stayed on a name, written in insecure letters of a pre-schooler.

 

_Ellyn._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am straying away from s4 canon, but I hope you don't mind :) ! Let me know if you liked chapter 2!


	3. Neverland

> **The Ark, 10 years prior to landing on earth**

 

The room was dimly lit, the cots in it hard to make out when the woman entered, a small girl being carried inside by the guard. Her size and scrawny built were evidence enough to tell that she was from one of the poor stations of the Ark, where the right nutrition was a luxury children just didn't grow up with. Blue eyes were wide, scanning her surrounding as they walked further into the former storage room, which had been abandoned for years after a fire. The walls were still black, the metal scorched in some places, but it was enough for the purpose it served. There were 14 cots lined up at the walls, seven on each side and they were all occupied by children, except two. Curious eyes stared back at the girl, all of them scanning the new one. It did not go unnoticed that the girl's eyes were wet with tears and that she was shaking when the man sat her down on the cold floor, one of her shoes lost.

 

The woman, who had been the one to collect all of the children in this room, let her gaze wander over the group and thought to herself that she cared very little about them. What had just happened was no more than an inconvenience for her, because now she had to hope that no one would find the corpse. Other than that, there was little remorse, not even when she looked down at the devastated child, who was alone now, her other half gone. “Go ahead, find your bed, we will be back”, she told the girl, her voice bare of any emotions. Elly hesitated, afraid to disagree, yet still trying to think of a way out of this situation.  
Before she had even reached her bed, the door fell shut again and they were locked inside. As soon as they were alone again, the other children came to life and got up from their beds to all gather on the one next to the new comer's.  
“What's your name?”  
“What station are you from?”  
“Do you know why we are here?”  
“What day is it?”  
“I don't believe a word they say, is my mom looking for me?”  
The girl couldn't even keep up with all the questions that rained down on her at once, so she just sat on the bed, shell-shocked, until the oldest boy held up a hand and silenced the other children. He was taller than them, maybe ten or eleven, with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, one of which was beaten black.  
“Shut up, everyone. Can't you see she's scared? Just give her a moment.”  
The younger girl appreciated his effort and smiled a little at him, before trying to remember all the questions she had been asked.  
“My name is Ellyn. I'm from Factory Station. It's Tuesday, I think? Why are we here? My mommy wasn't sick when she went to work...” Her voice hitched a little and her lip quivered dangerously, because she was scared. She still couldn't fully wrap her mind around what had just happened to her sister and she didn't dare to put it into words in front of the other children, so she swallowed her grief down for the moment.  
“Well, I'm Troy and we've all been told the same story: our mother or father is sick and we have to stay here until they are healthy again, because there is no one to take care of us. We all just have one parent left. But we don't believe them. Something is very odd about it, I mean, look at this room. No one has been in here for years, as it seems. And the people who brought us here are so extremely fake friendly it hurts. No matter what's going on, however, we'll stick together. You're one of us now, Ellyn. Welcome to Neverland. We're the lost boys and girls and the evil pirates are holding us prisoners.”  
He smiled crookedly at her and held out his hand to shake hers. She placed her own in it hesitantly and took a deep breath, swallowing down the lump in her throat, before she remembered something she had heard her mother talk about with their neighbor. The reason why she had been forced to go to school with Bellamy every day.

 

“You are the missing children! My mommy talked to our Rora about you”, she burst out in realization, looking at the faces before her. “She asked our neighbor to let her son walk us to school in the morning, because she was scared something could happen to us...me. The children at school talked about it as well...how kids in their classes didn't come to school anymore...that was you. And now....I'm missing, too.”  
The last words were settling in slowly and she knew that Troy was right: something was more than odd here. These children had parents who were looking for them. Why had she even opened the door for the guard and the strange, friendly woman?  
“It's all my fault...mom told me not to open the door for anyone, but Bellamy”, she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes, but Troy got up and sat next to her, draping an arm over her shoulder.

 

“It's not your fault. We all made the same mistake. We were taught to obey the guards and trust them and so none of us suspected anything foul. But I am very sure they will find us. It's a space station, right? No one can get anywhere in here. Around us is just space. They will find us.”  
The determination in his voice was admirable and calmed Ellyn down a little. He was right, the Ark was a limited space. Sooner or later the guards would find them in here. And in the meantime, they just had to wait. Maybe it wouldn't be all too bad.   
Before they could say another word, the lights went out entirely and it was pitch black. The other children groaned and shuffled over to their beds, while Troy stayed with Ellyn.  
“It's bedtime now. We're not allowed to be outside our cots, but if you want me to, I'll stay with you until you're asleep. The first night is always the hardest.” His voice was kind and soothing and he was just like Ellyn had always imagined a big brother would be. “But it's only morning. We just got up for school”, she told him, brows knitting together. He just gave her a carefree shrug and a half grin. “Really? We have no idea in here. No clocks, no windows. You'll learn to go with their light patterns. It's mostly night here, for some reason.” The way he spoke was enticingly rebellious, because he was mocking them and Ellyn liked him right away. “I'll stay with you”, he repeated, softer this time, to let her know he really meant it and Elly nodded slowly, tears stinging in her eyes again, which she just let fall, because it was pitch black anyway.  
“I would like that”, she whispered back, curling up on the sheets. She was wide awake at first, tears silently soaking the pillow her head rested on, as she tried not to make a sound, but Troy seemed to notice, because she could feel his hand in her hair suddenly, stroking it gently. “It's alright. I'll protect all of you”, he whispered into the darkness and it brought a little smile to Ellyn's face. No one had ever protected her. She had been the one to take care of her sister, to shield her from the world, but no one had ever done it for her. Sleep caught her off guard over these thoughts and she fell into a restless slumber, with fragments of dreams haunting her.  
It would be the children's last 'night' so close to their parents, their homes. For some it was their last night entirely, for others it was the beginning of a journey.  
Unity Day was less than 7 hours away.

 

 

> **Arkadia, present day**

 

“Marcus, can I come in?”  
Clarke lingered in the doorway to Kane's quarters, waiting for him to invite her in, since the door was already open. He was stepping outside his bedroom, hair disheveled, a mug of steaming tea in his hand. Judging from how he looked, he hadn't slept in days, but it wasn't on Clarke to judge that, because she wasn't any different.

“Good morning, Clarke. Of course, come in, come in. Is everything alright? You look like the bearer of bad news. If it is bad news, please wait until I finished my tea.” It was supposed to be a joke, but his voice was a bit too much on edge to bring it across. They were all worried for the next catastrophe to strike, or for their time to run up prematurely.   
“It's...not exactly bad news? Raven found something interesting while hacking her way through...whatever. I thought you might be able to understand it a bit better, because you were on the council and had access to mission data even before you got your position”, Clarke explained, entering the room and standing across from him.  
“What did she find? Maybe Thelonius or your mother would be the better people to ask”, Marcus replied, brows knitting into a frown as he went over to her, opening the file.

“Maybe, but you were also head of the guard for a long time and must have got a better insight during these times. Even though we are not sure the incidents are connected.”

 

He looked up at Clarke again, the frown deepening.   
“I don't think I can follow you. Which incidents are you talking about?”  
Clarke mustered him for a brief second, before continuing her story.  
“Raven was trying to find out whether the radiation levels were messing with our radio signals and if the connections we could not receive were still saved somewhere on our servers. Instead, she found something else. It seems to be a folder containing fragments of radio transmissions to earth from ten years ago. Most of the file has been destroyed by someone and these fragments don't really make sense. The only significant thing that happened at around the same time, was the disappearance of 13 children on the Ark. So...I was wondering if you knew anything about either.”

She had expected some sort of reaction from him, but the way his face instantly lost its color and his hand started shaking so badly he had to put the mug down was frightening.

 

“I...yes, I investigated these cases. None of the...none of the children was ever found again. I mean, yes. One of them was found dead, three weeks after her disappearance, so all of them were declared dead by the council. What does it have to do with this?” His voice was not bare of a tremor and Clarke understood that she had just woken up a ghost from his past. Why this subject was so sensitive for him was lost to her, but she tried to not upset him further.

“I'm not entirely sure. What Raven found, however, was a record of signals which prove that someone on the Ark knew that life was possible down here. And that Mount Weather was not the only inhabited mountain as it seems, because Raven tracked the transmissions back to Mount Rushmore. And since the file had been carefully encrypted and partially destroyed, it is also logical to assume that someone on the council was either involved, or had access and knowledge of it in some way. Since the missing children were mentioned in those records, it is also possible they had something to do with it as well.”

Marcus stared blankly at the paper, trying to keep as calm as possible. Now was not the right time to lose his temper over something that happened a decade ago and he was not even sure if he WANTED to find out the truth, ever. It was something he had left up in space, or at least he tried to tell himself that he had. Whatever had happened back then, seemed to have a far bigger plot behind it than they had initially seen back then, but why now? They were desperately trying to survive the upcoming death wave and it was by far the right time to venture back to a time of corruption and death on the Ark, where little children had disappeared in broad daylight, never to be seen again. He had tried so hard back then, had given all he had to find them, but he had failed them all. They were all gone, all 13 of them. Livia was gone. He had not been able to save them, although he had promised her. Even after all this time, was he ready to face those weeks again? It brought back memories of sleepless nights, buried in paperwork, prints of surveillance cameras, theories, heavy drinking, despair, anger and complete inability to acknowledge that so many children could just vanish without a trace. Of course he had believed that there was a bigger scheme behind it, that someone in a high position was pulling the strings, but there had been no evidence. There had been absolutely nothing. And he was forced to let go of it in the end and let the ghosts find rest.  
He nodded slowly, swallowing hard against the lump in his throat. “Yes, thank you, Clarke. I will take a deeper look at it later. If you'd excuse me now, I need to do some...things.”

Clarke nodded and took a few steps back from the table.   
“Of course. I'll see you tonight at the council meeting.”

She left the room and was kind enough to close the door behind her, sensing that Marcus needed a moment of privacy.  
  


 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any comments, critique, thoughts, thumbs up? Leave me a comment <3


	4. Gone

> **Polis, present day**

 

Roan was pacing in the throne room, hands clasped behind his back, sky blue eyes trailing over the furniture, as his mind was wandering. They had only a few days left until praimfaya would swallow them whole and still there was no reliable solution at hand, which would ensure the survival of most of the people. Skaikru had their ship that would hold at least some of them, but the Grounders had nothing. As the King of the Ice Nation and current Commander over the other clans, it was Roan's responsibility to save as many lives as possible. He had always imagined himself to be a better leader than his mother, but how was he supposed to work with absolutely nothing here? Despite the knowledge that they would all die, he had nothing else. No opportunities, no hopes, not even a faint idea what to do. Clarke promised him the world, but he didn't trust her. In the end, she wasn't much more than a child and although she had proven to be resourceful in the past, this dilemma was most likely too big for her as well.

A knock on the door distracted him and he turned, facing one of the guards, who was bowing in front of him. “A scout is here to see you, my King”, he spoke respectfully and although Roan had little intention to see the person, knowing fully well that they would not come with good news, he gave a nod to allow the intrusion. Striding back to the throne, he let himself sink onto it with a sigh, more or less ready for another wave of bad news to hit him. The scout who entered was a young girl, one that was most familiar to him and almost evoked a smile. He was not entirely in the mood to be relieved to see her, however, so his face remained set, while his eyes scanned her briefly, making sure she was alright.

“You have returned”, he remarked, because he had sent her out a while ago and so far heard nothing. He knew the reason, however – he had sent her to meet with his sister on the northern border of their territory and knowing her, she had kept the girl for a few days, offering her usual hospitality and kindness. Caelan seemed to be entirely different than the rest of their family – probably because she was only his half sister. They shared the same father, not the same mother. She was older by two years and currently took care of Roan's youngest brother, while the second oldest resided in Polis with him. Judging by the stern look on the face of the girl, he knew that she had not come to share good memories of her trip with him. “I have, my Lord. I apologize for having taken longer than expected, but I brought your brother and your sister's children with me. The northern parts of our lands have been heavily inflicted by the sickness skaikru spoke of. The fish has been dying for a while now and the people are getting sick. Your sister chose to remain with her people and most villagers stayed behind as well. The few who wanted to leave, have come with me to the capital. It is drawing closer now, my King. We heard the people Luna called her clan have mostly died. They used to trade with your sister's fishers, but failed to come recently. Word reached the border saying they died from sickness and those who could went to the skai people, because they have a good healer. That is all the news I can give you.”

Roan was very close to slamming his fist through the wall, because that was even worse than what he had expected. His people were already dying and his stubborn sister had chosen to rather die with them, than leave her village behind. Why did she have to be so much like him? What was he supposed to do with her children, in case she did not survive? Then again, they were all doomed to die and he could not save them, not even his own flesh and blood.

“Thank you, Helen. You did well. I wish you to stay here in Polis with me for the time being and accompany Echo and me, should we leave town.” It was his way of keeping her close, so he could protect the girl, if need be. He had watched her grow up from a scrawny, sickly little thing, to the well trained, healthy and thriving young woman she had become. While his mother had predicted her death at first sight, Roan had seen resilience in her and she had never disappointed him. She was only 15, 16 the most, but was the most promising of all the younger soldiers they had trained in the last years. So if the world was going to end soon, he would keep her close, because he had always done so, even during his banishment.

“Thinking about it, I'd like to ride for Arkadia tomorrow morning. Maybe the sky people have some news for us. Be prepared at dawn”, her ordered, giving the girl a nod to dismiss her. The young one bowed before him, then turned around on her heel to leave the room. Roan stayed behind, running a hand through his hair and sighing heavily. Traveling to Arkadia was most likely not going to give him any solutions, but it was better than sitting around. If the Natblida was there, maybe she could give them some insight in what was to come for them all. Pushing himself up from the throne, he quickly left the empty room to find his brothers and his sister's children, who were in his care now as well. He wanted to make sure that they had whatever they needed, before he left in the early morning hours.

 

 

> **The Ark, 10 years prior to landing on earth**
> 
>  

Thelonius was worried that the chair Marcus was sitting on would end up torn to pieces on the floor, would the other continue to tap on it frantically. “Marcus, I understand that this is a very unsatisfying result of your investigations, but you have to understand the council as well. This is a tragic and unfathomable crime committed on the Ark, something that hasn't happened in the almost 100 years we've been up here in space. And I fully understand that you would like to continue and find the reason behind those kidnapping, as well as the other children”, the chancellor repeated what he had already told Marcus a couple of minutes ago, his voice calm and compassionate, because he honestly understood why his head of the guard was so upset.

“But one corpse was found. This is terrible and we all wished for another outcome in this case, but we must assume that the other children sadly suffered a similar fate. The Ark is a closed space. No one can just disappear like that and live on somewhere. Your guards have searched everything thoroughly and there is no trace of the remaining missing children. So we sadly have to assume that they are also dead and hidden away somewhere. There is no lead, no evidence, nothing whatsoever that would justify the continuation of the investigations. I am sorry, but the council has decided to close the case. The parents of the missing children will be informed this afternoon. We will hold a service in their honor and the poor little girl that was found in the maintenance shafts will have a proper burial.  
Marcus nails were digging into the armrests of the chair, his heart hammering in his chest. They couldn't do this! They could not just stop the investigation after finding one corpse. “What if the other children are still alive? We can't just stop searching now! They must be somewhere. Like you said, no one can just leave the Ark. If you give me more time, I'll find them.”  
Jaha sighed softly and leaned back on his chair. “The dead girl went missing three days ago. Given some of the children disappeared almost a months ago, I don't have any hope that they will still be alive.” Marcus raised one of his hands and ran it through his hair, shaking his head. “Please, Thelonius. I don't need any men, I'll just do it myself. In my free time. Just give me access and permission to continue the investigation. They have to be somewhere”, he repeated and the despair in his voice made Jaha wonder why exactly Kane was so determined to solve this case, when he was usually not the most compassionate man to begin with.  
“Alright. Do what you must in your free time. But if it gets in the way of your daily work, I'll immediately put an end to it”, the chancellor finally gave in, because despite the decision of the council, he felt terrible declaring all of those children dead, without being sure that this was the case. Marcus was right – one corpse was not necessarily an indicator that all of the kids were deceased. Maybe he could indeed find something more and bring justice to the families, who would have to mourn their children from now on.

“Thank you, Sir. I won't disappoint you, I'm sure. I have to get back to my shift now”, Marcus explained and stood, giving Jaha a nod, whilst trying to remain calm and collected, although the chancellor's admission was a triumph for him and filled him with new hope and determination to solve the case. Something like this had never happened before on the Ark and he couldn't just sit by and be head of the guard during times like these and letting his people down. Letting Livia down. He headed out of the door and over to his office, to revise the evidence they had secured so far. The only thing they knew for sure, was that all the children had been abducted around the same time, in the early morning hours. They were all from factory station, all of them children to single parents. And the girl found in the maintenance shaft had been shot with a gun that was carried by the guards. This was going to be his first clue. Could someone in the guard be corrupt enough to help people abduct children? He knew his men and wanted to believe that none of them was capable of that, let alone shooting a toddler in the head. Either way, detailed analysis of the case had to wait until his shift was over, because he was sure that they would have enough to do, by the time Jaha declared the other missing children dead. The parents would not take lightly to the news and Marcus understood why. The people from factory station were already on the end of the food chain and this was one more reminder for them that they were not privileged. Missing children from Alpha Station would have been considered a priority.

The day went by quickly and although Marcus had tried to be present when Jaha made the announcement, he had been too busy to make it. His shift had ended hours after it was supposed to and when he finally closed the door to his office, all he wanted to do was return to his quarters and sleep. He felt worn out, still completely shook from finding one of the twins' dead bodies one day prior and drained from feeling like a failure. Something on the Ark wasn't right and it was his job to find out what. But first he had to do something he had been avoiding for three days now and so he found himself taking the elevator down to factory station, wandering the corridors towards his destination. He could hear the people whisper as he passed by and knew they had nothing good to say about him. He had let them down, but he was determined to make it right. He had to, not only for them, but also himself. This wasn't just a case, it was personal for Marcus, although he couldn't admit to that in public.

Knocking at the door to Livia's quarter, he waited for a reply from inside, but there was nothing. He tried again for a few times, but it remained quiet. Suddenly worried about her, he unlocked the door with his universal card and stepped inside, just to feel his heart stop in his chest at the sight presented before him. Livia was hanging by the neck, steel blue eyes wide open, her beautiful freckles face contorted after choking. Her body was still swaying gently, a chair to her feet knocked over. She had killed herself, because the only thing she had loved in life had been taken from her – her children. And Marcus couldn't do anything more than stumble backwards against the wall, burying his face in his hands, because he couldn't look at her. This was all his fault.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took forever! Hope you liked it <3 leave me a comment

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading <3 leave me a comment if you liked it and want to read more!


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